In the Heat of the Summer (aka The Mean Season) by John Katzenbach

 

(pb; 1982)

From the back cover

“In Miami, they call July the ‘mean season.’ This summer, a clever, elusive killer is terrorizing the entire city—and making frequent phone calls to crack newspaper reporter Malcolm Anderson.

“Now Anderson is trapped by the hottest story he’s ever had—trapped between his editors who want him to keep the story alive, by the cops who want him to help catch the killer, by his girlfriend who wants their lives safe again, and by his own fascination with the tortured murderer looking to get even for the sins of Vietnam.

“The story is making Anderson a national celebrity—and could make him the killer’s next victim.”

 

Review

Summer, a good, sometimes hard-to-set-down thriller, begins rough and chatty, but once it gains focus (about a quarter of the way through, about the time the killer contacts reporter Malcolm Anderson) it becomes a solid read, with effective commentary on the media’s role in war and murder as well as a few plot-convenient-dumb-character moments (e.g., Anderson giving away key killer-capture information to the killer). The edge-lined ending leans more toward whimper than bang, but it works for the book, Katzenbach's first. The resulting film—I forget its ending—likely had a different more bang-oriented finish, given Hollywood’s penchant for more crowd-pleasing, easier-to-digest fare.

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The resulting film (and the reason why the book was retitled), The Mean Season, was released stateside on February 15, 1985. Phillip Borsos directed it, from a screenplay by Christopher Crowe (billed as Leon Piedmont).

Kurt Russell played Malcolm Anderson. Mariel Hemingway played Christine Connelly. Richard Jordan played Alan Delour.

Richard Masur played Bill Nolan. Joe Pantoliano played Andy Porter. Andy Garcia played Ray Martinez. William Smith played Albert O’Shaughnessy [cinematic stand-in for Peter O’Shaughnessy].

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough

 

(pb; 2012: prequel to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe book series)

 

From the back cover

“Archie Goodwin comes to New York City hoping for a bit of excitement. In his third week working as a night watchman, he stops two burglars in their tracks—with a piar of hot lead slugs. Dismissed from his job for being ‘trigger-happy,’ he parlays his newfound notoriety into a job as a detective’s assistant, helping honest sleuth Del Bascom solve cases like the Morningside Piano Heist, the Rive Gauche Art Gallery Swindle, and the Summer-Hayes Burglary. But it’s the kidnapping of Tommie Williamson, the son of a New York hotel magnate, that introduces Goodwin to the man who will change his life.

“Young Tommie has gone missing, and only one detective is built for the job: Nero Wolfe, the heavyset genius of West Thirty-Fifth Street. Together they will form one of the most unlikely crime fighting duos in history—but first Goodwin must find Tommie Williamson and prove to Wolfe that he deserves a place by his side.”

 

Review

Goldsborough, who’s authored eight other post-Stout Wolfe novels, has penned an excellent prequel to Stout’s first Wolfe book (Fer-de-Lance, 1934). Archie, slightly streamlined (appropriate for our current age), is as witty, all-around smart, and character-true (that includes Fritz Brenner and Wolfe’s freelance operatives) as any of the four Wolfe novels I’ve read.

This time around, Archie and Nero are less acerbic with each other, having just met, though Archie’s penchant for committing to necessary physical action (even hitting or killing someone) is still at the fore. Purists might grumble at Goldsborough’s streamlining of the actions and characters, but purity, is often the atmosphere of hypocrisy, existence not life, and joylessness. Great read. Might check out the author’s other works once I’m through reading Stout’s Wolfe works.

 

Note: In his post-novel “Author’s Notes” Goldsborough wrote that Archie was inspired by Fer-de-Lance: “In Fer-de-Lance, the first Nero Wolfe novel (1934), Archie refers briefly to the kidnapping of Tommie Williamson, the son of Burke Williamson, owner of a chain of hotels, and says that each year on the anniversary of the boy’s return, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson and their son dine at Wolfe’s brownstone to mark the occasion.”

A String of Beads by Thomas Perry

 

(oversize pb; 2015: eighth book in the Jane Whitefield series)

 

From the back cover

“A year after getting shot on a job that took a dangerous turn, Jane has settled into the quiet life of a suburban housewife in Amherst, New York—or so she thinks. One morning, coming back from a run, Jane is met by an unusual sight: the female leaders of the eight Seneca clans parked in her driveway in two black cars. They have come to her with a troublesome request. Jane’s childhood friend from the reservation, Jimmy [Sanders], is wanted by the police for the murder of a local white man and has fled. The clan mothers believe Jane is the only one who can find him. But when Jane begins to retrace a journey, she took with jimmy when they were fourteen years old, she realizes that the police aren’t the only ones after him. As the chase intensifies, the number of people caught up in this deadly plot grows, and Jane is the only one who can protect those endangered by it.”

 

Review

A year after Jane’s kidnapping, torture and revenge in Poison Flower, Jane—always wary of potential danger—has settled into semi-comfortable life with her doctor-husband (Cary McKinnon). But when the female members of an influential Seneca/Native American council seek her help in locating and rescuing her good, on-the-lam childhood friend (Jimmy Sanders) who’s been accused of murder, she takes on Sanders as a runner. The closer Jane gets to locating and helping Jimmy (and those related to her current run), the more complications arise—many linked to killer/thievery ringleader (Daniel Crane) and his Mafia-afiliate associates (Salamone and don Lorenzo Malconi).

There hasn’t been a less-than-excellent entry in the Jane Whitefield series thus far, and Beads is no exception. Beads has an especially strong Seneca-centric storyline to it, reminding me a lot of its source novel (Vanishing Act, 1995). Of course, there’s lots of physical defensive/tactical talk and elements, action, strong character development for its lead characters, and villains worth hissing at. Worth owning, this. Followed by The Left Handed Twin.

House of Rejects: The Making of Rob Zombie's Firefly Trilogy by Dustin McNeill

 

(oversized pb; 2023: nonfiction)

 

Review

Rejects is an entertaining, comprehensive and read for fans of Rob Zombie’s cinematic works, replete with an overview of Zombie’s pre-film musical and personal life and plenty of film pre-production/behind-the-scenes details (but not enough to clutter to Reject’s effective flow) and media/fan reactions (positive and critical) to give readers a sense of breadth regard his works and life. Rejects is light and deft enough to appeal to casual Zombie fans while also giving readers enough of an inside look at his cinematic and musical worldview to engage more-than-casual readers. Worth owning, this.